Originally published by The 19th
Sriya Srinivasan stopped menstruating for nearly three years and had no idea why. She went online for answers, and the search results frightened her so much that she stayed silent about the problem instead of asking relatives or teachers for help.
“I was searching on the internet for, ‘Where’s my period?’ What is going on?’” said the 16-year-old from Solano County, California. “It told me that I was dying in different ways, whether that was ovarian cancer or I had a tumor. I didn’t want anyone else to be as scared as I was during that time, so that’s why I hid it.”
Finally, a doctor’s visit for an unrelated issue revealed the culprit, a medical condition that she’d like to keep private. But Srinivasan has been public about how little she knew about the menstrual cycle before hers came to a halt. Now through the state’s citizen-led legislative process, she’s championing legislation that would mandate that California’s public middle and high schools expand the definition of comprehensive sexual health education to include menstrual health.
About the proposed bill
With such a shift, Assembly Bill 2229 would close what its bipartisan backers call a “curriculum gap.” Current sex ed instruction focuses on pregnancy, contraception and sexually-transmitted infections but not explicitly on menstrual health. The legislation also acknowledges the importance of teaching students about a wide range of topics related to the menstrual cycle such as premenstrual syndrome, menstrual disorders, menstrual stigma and menopause. Advocates would like the bill, which to date has passed the California…
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